The Rivers

The Pine

The Pine River got it's name from the white pines that once towered above it's banks.  It is a cold, first-class trout river with more than 50 miles of mainstream that supports natual reproduction of brook, brown, and rainbow trout.  It is quite apparent by the attitude they display that every fish in the Pine is wild... there are no hatchery fish introduced into the river.

We are one of only two outfitters that offer fishing access to the Pine.  In order to protect this jewel of a river, we practice a strict catch and release policy.

We explore this river from May through September with a whitewater raft with custom casting platforms.  It is an extremely comfortable and effective method to experience the tremendous natural beauty of the river.

The Pere Marquette River

The Pere Marquette is one of the most storied fishing rivers in the state of Michigan.  Eggs from brown trout imported from Germany were hatched at the Northville Michigan hatchery and planted in the Pere Marquette, making it the first river in the country to be planted with what is now commonly known as the "German Brown".  Although the German Brown is still one of the most sought after fish in the river, it is the variety of fishing that makes the river so attractive.  Whether you prefer searching for browns in the deep holes, rainbows in the riffles or doing battle with the feisty steelhead or bruising salmon, the PM, as it is commonly called, has it all.

We fish the PM all year long using drift boats.  Trout can be taken all year, salmon begin their annual spawning migration in mid-August through October and steelhead are in the rivers from October through mid-May.  With close to 100 miles of mainstream that is unobstructed by any dams, it is easy to understand why we love this river.

The Manistee River

The Manistee River, aka "Big River", is a tributary of Lake Michigan that provides some of the best trout, steelhead, and salmon fishing in the country.  Tippy Dam divides the river into what is commonly referred to as the Upper Manistee (that portion above the dam) and the Lower Manistee (below the dam).

The Upper Manistee provides the angler quality trout fishing with an excellent opportunity for a trophy fish.  This is especially true during the annual Hex hatch.

The Lower river is famous for it's annual spawning runs of both steelhead and salmon.  This fishery turns on in Early September with the start of the salmon migration.  Brown trout and steelhead stage below the spawning salmon and feed on free meals of spawn.  The steelhead that follow the spawning salmon remain in the river until the spring steelhead run and provide excellent fall and winter fishing.  The spring steelhead run begins in early March and continues through late April.  Trout and smallmouth bass take up the slack during the summer until it starts all over in September.

Although we do search for trophy trout in the Upper Manistee, we concentrate our efforts on the Lower River.  The tremendous runs of salmon and steelhead along with very good smallmouth and trout fishing allows up to fish the river year round.  We cover the entire lower river from Tippy Dam to Manistee Lake with our jet sleds.  Winter fishing (December through February) is one of our favorite and one of the most overlooked times of year to fish.  With hardtops and heaters installed, we fish with all the comforts of home.  The river is beautiful and uncrowded this time of the year and the fishing can be absolutely dynamite.

The Muskegon River

The Muskegon River is one of the longest and largest in Michigan. I t begins as the outlet of Houghton Lake and travels over 200 miles until it empties into Lake Michigan in the city of Muskegon. It has earned its fame as a great trout, salmon and steelhead river primarily below Croton Dam, located near the city of Newaygo. When fishing from Croton Dam downstream to Newaygo it will feel as though you are fishing on a river in the Pacific Northwest.

We fish year around on the Muskegon below Croton Dam out of our jet sleds and drift boats. Trout are willing targets year around. The Smallmouth bass fishing picks up in the summer months. The river supports an excellent run of salmon in September followed by steelhead and lake run browns in October providing excellent fishing beginning in the fall and lasting through the winter. In the spring, the main steelhead run begins in March and lasts through April.